Perhaps we've been too hard on pit bulls. Yes, these muscular beasts can be aggressive. A Suffolk toddler and a Spotsylvania County woman were mauled to death last year by pit bulls or pit-bull mixes. Still, we may not be giving the breed enough credit.

They may be smarter than we think.

Exhibit A: A pit bull attacked two people in Fairfax County on Wednesday.

Exhibit B: Another pit bull attacked five in a Richmond park on Sunday afternoon.

It's almost as if both of these dogs knew that if they waited until July 1 to maul folks for fun, their owners would be in a world of trouble.

Better to get it out of their systems now.

You see, last week, after much debate and several revisions, the General Assembly finally passed dangerous-dog legislation. The governor has not signed it, but when he does - and it's inconceivable that he won't - the law would take effect this summer. The statute would increase the criminal consequences for nitwits who keep vicious dogs.

Can these dog owners spell f-e-l-o-n-y? Probably not. They'll learn.

It's not a perfect law, but it's a start.

Sadly, from my reading of it, the bill prohibits what's known as breed-specific legislation. Big mistake. Virginia ought to allow cities and counties to ban aggressive breeds if that's what the voters want. Many cities in other states outlaw pit bulls before they bite.

Apparently, the fact that two Virginians were killed by pit bulls or pit-bull mixes last year was not persuasive. Just how many deaths will it take before cities will be allowed to take pre-emptive action ?

The horrific death of Jonathan Martin should have been enough. He was the 2-year-old Suffolk boy who was ripped apart by his family's pit-bull mixes last fall.

Last March, Dorothy Sullivan was killed by three marauding pit bulls or pit-bull mixes. It was the gruesome death of this Spotsylvania County woman and the problems prosecutors had bringing serious charges against the owner of the dogs that caused state Sen. Ed Houck to introduce the dangerous-dog legislation .

Fortunately, neither of the most recent attacks was deadly.

According to television news reports, a pit bull escaped from its Falls Church yard Wednesday and attacked two people.

A quick-thinking police officer shot the dog dead.

One dangerous dog down, many more to go.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that four days later, on a spectacularly sunny Sunday afternoon, a pit bull in Richmond's Monroe Park "attacked its owner and four other people."

"The attacks were unprovoked," one witness told the paper .

It happens all the time.

Virginia's new legislation won't do anything to prevent a first attack, but it will extract a price from owners of dogs that bite.

In addition to penalties, the legislation creates a "Dangerous Dog Registry."

Dogs that launch unprovoked attacks on people or innocent pets will be officially classified as "dangerous." Once that happens, the owner will have to jump through a series of expensive hoops to keep the dog alive. The malevolent mutts will have to be computer chipped or tattooed and kept on a short leash . Literally.

I'm not going to try to tell you what countless others have probably already or will tell you about the breed. Like that they are misunderstood, friendly dogs that ordinarily love people and are great with children. I have been trying to help these dogs long enough to know that chances are no one will change your mind about the breed.

The only thing I will point out is this comment in your article:

"A quick-thinking police officer shot the dog dead.

One dangerous dog down, many more to go."

I'm sure you didn't mean this but that sounds an awful lot like you think my dogs should be shot!

You're entitled to your opinion and sensationalistic techniques to stir things up but that's just plain irresponsible on you and your newspapers part.

Inciting violence is far from a logical solution to the irresponsible owner problem you are having in your state.

That comment makes me physically ill.

The law that will be put into place is a good law and will address any irresponsible owner problems you may have in the future. The writers of that bill are to be commended.

Dear Mr. Berkman -- thank you for your message. Yes, our law is a good one. Yes, it will address irresponsible owners of dangerous dogs AFTER they maul someone. Terrific. I do, however, want to thank you for not lacing your message with profanity. Many of the irate messages I received this week were vile. kerry

I always like to point out that I work with all dogs on a daily basis in all three of my jobs, and in my schooling, and the only dog that has ever drawn blood on me was a Daschund. I handle pit bulls on a daily basis and none of them have ever gone after me, but I had a weiner dog hanging from my hand. It has a tendency to shut people up for a couple of seconds.

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

SisMorphine wrote:I always like to point out that I work with all dogs on a daily basis in all three of my jobs, and in my schooling, and the only dog that has ever drawn blood on me was a Daschund. I handle pit bulls on a daily basis and none of them have ever gone after me, but I had a weiner dog hanging from my hand. It has a tendency to shut people up for a couple of seconds.

I had one hanging from my knee!! That little snot would have ripped me to shreds had I not gotten him off of my knee & held him down with my foot until his owner came for him. I wanted to punt his little ass across the room. As if was he was gnawing on my sneaker. I have a scar on my knee from him.

There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.

That is to todays date the only breed that has bitten me aswell!!!
A vetrenarians nasty little wirehaired Dachshund, named Konrad. I wasnt the only one he "sampled". He also had a brother called Walter that wasnt too reliable either. Feisty little buggers...

I was bit in the face by a Scottish Terrier. I now have a dimple I was not born with. I am not calling for a ban on Scottish Terriers. Plus I new it was my fault. I was wistleing and not thinking about the fact is was right in the dogs ear. totally my error.

Pit Bulls know they are THE face of extinction. All that remains is where they make their final stand. Say NO to BSL!

This was the latest exchange. I can't tell if she is dense or just dodging the critcism.

Me:

I am sorry if you had some irate owners write to you. But as I mentioned in my previous e-mail, suggesting that all pit bulls should be shot, would make most people upset.

Her:

Dear Mr. Berkman -- I have been writing columns for more than a decade on all kinds of controversial subject. Believe me when I say I am quite familiar with "irate" correspondents. The messages I inevitably get when I write about pit bulls are loaded with vile profanity. kerry

she replied to my email,which was grosslynice. she said she didnt mean that all pit bulls should be destroyed,she said that if her poodle bit anyone she would be a former pet.. she said she feels any dog that bites should be euthed.. so i told her its the way her wording was that made it sound other wise

i told her point blank her wording made it sound like she felt all pit bulls should be shot, my email to her had pics of rufus and the kids reading, and doing therapy work., i was very very nice toher.

Maryellen wrote:she replied to my email,which was grosslynice. she said she didnt mean that all pit bulls should be destroyed,she said that if her poodle bit anyone she would be a former pet.. she said she feels any dog that bites should be euthed.. so i told her its the way her wording was that made it sound other wise

that still sounds like you were polite to her, and she lied to you! the title of the article was bsl, in case she didnt know what that ment, it means all dogs of certain a certain breed!! yet she says she feels ANY dog that bites should be euthinezed! did i miss something?